Mask or Visor Attachment for Eyewear, Eyewear with Integrated Mask or Visor, And Eyewear With Clip On Lenses
A mask to be attached to eyewear is provided. The mask includes a shroud, the shroud including one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on the eyewear. The mask also includes a filter assembly, the filter assembly including one or more openings and a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants. Also provided are a filter assembly for a mask, an assembly including the mask and eyewear, integrated masks/visors/eyewear, and an assembly including the mask, eyewear, and a clip on lens attachment.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 63/021,849 filed on May 8, 2020; 63/024,838 filed on May 14, 2020; and 63/077,063 filed on Sep. 11, 2020; the contents of these applications being incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe following relates generally to eyewear and more specifically to mask or visor attachments for eyewear, eyewear configured to be coupled with detachable masks or visors and/or clip on lenses, eyewear with integrated masks or visors, and eyewear with masks or visors and clip on lens assemblies.
BACKGROUNDOf the protective personal equipment (PPE) that is becoming increasingly required or recommended to limit the spread of pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, facial masks that are designed to cover a person's mouth, nose and other parts of the face are especially common. For this purpose, masks have traditionally been used by healthcare professionals but are now increasingly being used by the general public.
Masks are also widely used in construction and other industrial settings to limit exposure to contaminants like dust, debris, gases, fumes, liquids, etc. Many of these masks are disposable since the filtration feature, often a layer of material, can wear out and lose its effectiveness, as well as can lose its ability to form-fit to the user's face. Reusable masks do exist but are often difficult to clean or to have the filters changed.
Moreover, many masks are designed to use a pair of loops, often from an elastic material, that fit around the user's ears. Not only does this tend to pull the mask fabric towards and against the user's face, the elastic loops tend to pull down on the user's ears making the use of a mask often uncomfortable for the wearer. For health and construction workers and, more recently the general public, that may need to wear the masks for long periods of time, this discomfort is exacerbated.
Wearing a mask at the same time as eyewear, be it prescription glasses, sunglasses or protective eyewear; can create additional issues to those discussed above. For instance, masks are typically designed to be used for a wide population and thus sizing and fitment is typically generic or “one size fits all/many”. This leads to difficulties fitting a mask around and under eyewear, can lead to improper fitment around the user's nose and mouth, or can dislodge the eyewear or otherwise make it uncomfortable to wear both at the same time. Additionally, even more so than sizing and fitment, fogging can become a major problem. Wearing a mask naturally redirects a user's exhalations such that additional air moves towards and under the eyewear causing lenses to become foggy. This can be both bothersome and even dangerous to the user since it can impede the user's vision and field of view.
It is an object of the following to address at least one of the above-noted disadvantages.
SUMMARYProvided herein is a detachable mask or visor that can be coupled to eyewear such as eyeglasses or safety glasses. The mask or visor and eyewear suited to be coupled to the mask can form a mask or visor and eyewear “assembly” with detachable components to permit the mask or visor to be detached and reattached to the eyewear using a suitable coupling mechanism such as one or more magnets. By coupling the mask or visor directly to the eyewear rather than the wearer's face (e.g., via ear loops) the permeable portion of the mask (or barrier of the visor) can be separated from the wearer's face. A rim portion can also be provided on the mask to provide a comfortable interface with the wearer's face above and/or around the mouth to inhibit air flow from the wearer's exhalations from reaching the eyewear lenses. The mask can also include a detachable filter cover to enable a filter layer in the mask to be conveniently replaced even without removing the mask from the eyewear. This filter cover can also be coupled to a shroud of the mask using a suitable coupling mechanism such as one or more magnets. The masks and visors described herein can also be integrated with or fixedly coupled to eyewear. Moreover, clip-on or other detachable eyewear accessories such as sunglass lenses can be accommodated with the masks and visors, in both detachable and fixed configurations wherein the mask/visor and eyewear are unitary.
In one aspect, there is provided a mask to be attached to eyewear, comprising: a shroud, the shroud comprising one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on the eyewear; and a filter assembly, the filter assembly comprising one or more openings and a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants.
In another aspect, there is provided a filter assembly for a mask, the filter assembly comprising: one or more openings in the mask; a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants; and an outer grid to be coupled to the mask over the filter layer and aligned with the one or more openings.
In yet another aspect, there is provided an assembly comprising: a mask as defined above and the eyewear.
In yet another aspect, there is provided an assembly comprising a mask as defined above, eyewear, and a clip on lens attachment. That is, the clip on lens attachment can be used with the same eyewear configured to be coupled to a mask.
In yet another aspect, there is provided a mask to be attached to eyewear, comprising: a shroud, the shroud comprising one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on the eyewear; wherein the shroud is at least partially transparent or translucent to permit visibility through the mask.
In yet another aspect, there is provided eyewear comprising: a frame configured to retain one or more lenses; a pair of arms; and a mask coupled to the frame, the mask comprising a shroud sized and positioned to cover a nose and mouth of the wearer; wherein the shroud is at least partially transparent or translucent to permit visibility through the mask.
Embodiments will now be described with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
Turning now to the figures,
In the examples described herein, the eyewear 10 includes a set of one or more magnets to provide a coupling mechanism between it and the mask 12. In the example shown in
The mask 12 shown in
The use of a three point coupling mechanism using the magnets 28, 30a, 30b, 44, 46a, 46b, provides additional stability when coupled together, and assists in aligning the mask 12 with the eyewear 10, since the mask 12 will be urged into place by the magnetic attraction. The multiple magnetic pairings also increase the strength of attachment making the mask 12 less susceptible to becoming dislodged. As illustrated in
Turning now to
The filter layer 60 is shaped to be seated within the recess of the shroud 40 against the inner grid 50. The filter layer 60 includes a pair of alignment holes 62a, 62b that are sized and positioned to allow the posts 54a, 54b to extend therethrough. In this way, the filter layer 60 completely covers the openings 52 to provide a permeable layer of protection while permitting breathing as shown in
To hold the filter layer 60 in place, the outer grid 64 is attached to the inner grid 50 as shown in
Turning now to
The functionality of the antifog barriers 70a, 70b can be observed in
To further illustrate the practical effectiveness of the mask 12 described herein,
Turning now to
As shown in
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examples described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the examples described herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the examples described herein.
It will be appreciated that the examples and corresponding diagrams used herein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations and terminology can be used without departing from the principles expressed herein. For instance, components and modules can be added, deleted, modified, or arranged with differing connections without departing from these principles.
The steps or operations in the flow charts and diagrams described herein are just for example. There may be many variations to these steps or operations without departing from the principles discussed above. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.
Although the above principles have been described with reference to certain specific examples, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A mask to be attached to eyewear, comprising:
- a shroud, the shroud comprising one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on the eyewear; and
- a filter assembly, the filter assembly comprising one or more openings and a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants.
2. The mask of claim 1, wherein the one or more attachment points comprise magnets for magnetic attraction to corresponding magnets on the eyewear.
3. The mask of claim 2, comprising a central magnet to be attached to a bridge portion of the eyewear.
4. The mask of claim 3, further comprising a pair of outer magnets to be attached to a frame of the eyewear.
5. The mask of claim 4, wherein the outer magnets are attached to the underside of the frame.
6. The mask of claim 2, comprising a pair of outer magnets on extensions from a central portion of the shroud, to be attached to a frame of the eyewear.
7. The mask of claim 6, wherein the outer magnets are attached to a front face of the frame.
8. The mask of claim 1, further comprising a layer of material along an inner rim of the shroud.
9. The mask of claim 8, wherein the layer of material comprising a pair of antifog barriers along an upper portion of the rim to bear against a wearer's face below the eyewear.
10. The mask of claim 8, wherein the layer of material extends along the entirety of the rim to provide a comfort layer.
11. The mask of claim 1, wherein the shroud comprises a recessed portion to receive the filter layer and the filter assembly comprises an outer grid that attaches to the shroud over the filter layer.
12. The mask of claim 11, wherein the recessed portion comprises an inner grid, the inner grid comprising one or more magnets to couple with one or more magnets on the outer grid to permit access to the filter layer.
13. The mask of claim 11, wherein the filter layer is positioned in the recess using a pair of posts aligned with alignment holes in the filter layer.
14. The mask of claim 12, wherein the inner and outer grids each define a plurality of openings to permit the air flow.
15. A filter assembly for a mask, the filter assembly comprising:
- one or more openings in the mask;
- a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants; and
- an outer grid to be coupled to the mask over the filter layer and aligned with the one or more openings.
16. The filter assembly of claim 15, wherein the plurality of openings are provided in a recessed portion in the mask.
17. The filter assembly of claim 16 wherein the recessed portion comprises an inner grid, the inner grid comprising one or more magnets to couple with one or more magnets on the outer grid to permit access to the filter layer.
18. The filter assembly of claim 16, wherein the filter layer is positioned in the recessed portion using a pair of posts aligned with alignment holes in the filter layer.
19. The filter assembly of claim 17, wherein the inner and outer grids each define a plurality of openings to permit the air flow.
20. An eyewear assembly comprising:
- a mask, the mask comprising: a shroud, the shroud comprising one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on eyewear; and a filter assembly, the filter assembly comprising one or more openings and a filter layer covering the one or more openings to permit air flow through the mask while filtering for contaminants; and
- the eyewear.
21. The assembly of claim 20, further comprising:
- a lens attachment to be coupled to the eyewear.
22. A mask to be attached to eyewear, comprising:
- a shroud, the shroud comprising one or more attachment points to couple to corresponding attachment points on the eyewear;
- wherein the shroud is at least partially transparent or translucent to permit visibility through the mask.
23. Eyewear comprising:
- a frame configured to retain one or more lenses;
- a pair of arms; and
- a mask coupled to the frame, the mask comprising a shroud sized and positioned to cover a nose and mouth of the wearer.
24. The eyewear of claim 23, wherein the mask is integral with, or fixedly coupled to, the eyewear.
25. The eyewear of claim 23, wherein the mask is attachable and detachable from the frame.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 21, 2021
Publication Date: Nov 11, 2021
Applicant: (Miami, FL)
Inventor: Brent SHELDON (Miami, FL)
Application Number: 17/236,278